Breaking the Rules
by omgitsnovia
Summary: A Fremione fanfiction set to begin the summer before Hermione's fifth year. **Title subject to change**
1. Summer Night

Hermione tossed and turned in her bed, unable to sleep. It was an uncomfortably warm August night, and as much as she loved spending time at the Burrow, enchantments can only do so much. She missed the air conditioning of her bedroom back home.

Restless and knowing she wasn't going to find sleep anytime soon, she got out of bed, careful not to wake Ginny, and crept down the hall to the bathroom. Without turning on any light, she splashed some cool water on her face and looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was matted to her forehead and neck with sweat and her tank top and shorts clung to her body awkwardly. She sighed as she saw the familiar face staring back at her – so plain, mundane, boring.

The door that was to her back began to swing open, and she jumped. A figure stumbled into the bathroom. "Do you mind!" Hermione whispered sharply at the intruder, whirling around.

The intruder groaned sleepily. "Sorry 'Mione," he grunted. Hermione's eyes adjusted to the light filtering in from behind the person. She could just barely make out the face under the fussed red hair, but was able to identify the person as Fred.

"Oh, it's alright," Hermione said, simmering down. She couldn't help but stare at Fred. He was wearing nothing more than a pair of shorts. She couldn't help but notice how athletic Fred's body was. Sculpted in all the right places, but not too obvious. It was a wonder she hadn't noticed it before.

"What are you doing up anyways, 'Mione?" Fred asked as he stretched. Hermione's face grew hot as she realized she hadn't yet looked away from his shirtless chest.

"Um, nothing, I should get back to bed, in case Ginny wakes up and sees I'm gone," she spit out before scurrying past the sleepy twin and into the hall. She noticed as she flung herself back into her bed that her arm had brushed against Fred on her way past and was now tingling. What could that mean? Hermione closed her eyes and began to drift off into a restless night's sleep.

**AN: I know it's a very short and general beginning, but I promise I will be adding updates frequently. So keep an eye out!**


	2. Breakfast at the Burrow

**AN: This is more like what the chapters will be like! The first chapter was written when I got home from a closing shift at work (so around 4 am Thursday night/friday morning, woooo. -_-), so again I apologize for how lackluster it was. I hope you enjoy this chapter more!**

A few days later, Hermione woke up to Ginny nudging her. "Hermione, Mum says we've got to leave soon. We're going to the Order headquarters." The sun was streaming in through the window, stretching across Hermione's bed. She rubbed her eyes and stretched.

"Alright, Ginny, I'll be right down. Are the boys awake yet?" she paused and listened, but didn't hear any stomping around, so she assumed the answer was no.

"Not yet. I'm going to wake up Ron right now, but Fred and George insist on apparating over, so Mum is letting them sleep," Ginny confirmed. Hermione shook her head. Since Fred and George have been allowed to use magic outside of school, they attempt to use it constantly. It was rather annoying, actually, but Hermione couldn't really blame them. She was looking forward to the time she would be allowed to perform magic outside of Hogwarts, because it would let her practice more often.

Ginny left the room, and Hermione crawled out of bed. She changed into a pair of jeans and a tank top and attempted to brush her unruly curls. Giving up after a few unsuccessful minutes, she pulled her locks back into a ponytail and decided it was good enough. She travelled downstairs to find Molly and Ginny sitting at the table, chatting cheerfully while eating, and Ron looked glumly down at his plate, still half-asleep and clearly cranky at the fact that he was woken up. According to the family clock, Arthur was at work and the twins were still asleep. Hermione smiled at the scene and grabbed a plate, sitting down next to Ginny and joining the conversation while she ate.

She was just reaching for the last piece of bacon on her plate when there was suddenly a loud crack right next to her and a hand in front of hers. "'Lo, Granger," said a familiar voice before the crunch of bacon.

"George! Really! Is it that necessary to Apparate everywhere now?" Molly scolded without even turning around from her place at the kitchen sink, where she was placing her empty plate.

"But I'm Fred! Honestly, woman, you think you'd learn to tell us apart eventually!" Fred joked with a wink at Hermione. Of course, she knew it was Fred. As peculiar as it sounded, she had learned to tell the boys apart by their scent. They both smelled of cinnamon, but there was a slight nature-like smell that accompanied Fred, like he had just come back in from a walk in the autumn woods. The wink made her warm, and she dipped her head down before she could blush. She looked back up to see Fred smiling at her. She smiled back before another loud crack came from her other side.

"George!" Hermione exclaimed, swatting at the body that was suddenly next to her.

"Ow! What was that for?" George said, rubbing his ribs.

"For frightening me!" she countered.

"Frightening you?" George laughed. "Honestly, Granger, you've been around for over a week now. You think being as smart of a witch as you are, you'd learn to expect it."

"Alright now, George, that's enough," Molly said, finally turning around. "Are you kids ready to go? Sirius and Remus are expecting us." The kids all grumbled their agreements and rounded up by the fireplace. "Arthur will bring your trunks with him tonight, so don't worry about those. Ginny, you first. Then Ron, then Hermione." Fred and George grinned from behind Molly, and Hermione knew that they were glad to be done with travelling by Floo when they could easily Apparate. Hermione watched Ginny disappear and Ron being shepherded into the fireplace by Molly before she realized she left her bookbag upstairs. She wanted to bring it with to get a jumpstart on her studies, like she tended to do at the end of every summer.

"I'll be right back," Hermione said, excusing herself while Ron disappeared. "I have to run upstairs. You can go ahead, I'll be there in a second."

Molly hesitated, but seemed to find no problem with it. "Alright, I'll see you there. Hurry up though!" She left with a crack. Hermione nodded and started upstairs. She heard a faint crack from downstairs and figured the twins had left as well. She entered Ginny's room and grabbed her bookbag. She glanced out the window at the garden and smiled. She felt so loved and at home at the Burrow. It made her happy. She turned around to go back downstairs and was startled by a figure in the doorway.

"Fred! For Merlin's sake! What are you doing there?" she said, her hand flying to her chest to calm her speeding heart. She wasn't sure if it was racing because of the surprise of his presence or if it was because it was his presence.

"I figured instead of travelling by Floo, you might have wanted to Apparate with me instead," Fred said with a smile.

"Oh," Hermione said. "Yeah, okay." Fred held out his hand and she took it. There was a sudden spark, but before she could process it, they were at 12 Grimmauld Place and she was being thrown away from him with force from the landing. She fell on her butt on the foyer floor with a loud, unfeminine grunt.  
>"Sorry 'Mione," Fred apologized with a grin. He held out his hand to help her up. She reached out to take it, but felt a shock when they touched. She pulled away and just forced herself back up. It had to be a static charge from Apparating, Hermione reasoned in her mind. Nothing more. She wiped her hands off on her knees and disappeared down the hallway, leaving Fred standing there, grinning, his hand tingling.<p> 


	3. 12 Grimmauld Place

Hermione stood around a circle with Ginny, Ron, Harry, and the twins. Since Harry's arrival, their curiosities had all been piqued. It was clear to everyone that things were not as they should be. Which is why they found themselves standing on the stairway, testing out Fred and George's latest invention – the Extendable Ears. Hermione tried to concentrate, but all she could feel was her arm pressed against Fred's, making the fact that her knee was jammed into the railing of the staircase seem unimportant. It's just warm, she tried to tell herself, with them all huddled together. It's still summer. It had nothing to do with the amount of skin contact she had with the Weasley twin. It couldn't possibly be, it's too barbaric to even consider.

Suddenly Crookshanks appeared downstairs. "Crookshanks, no!" Hermione whisper-shouted at her orange-haired cat. "Bad Crookshanks!" The cat circled the ear, batting it around a bit, thinking it was his new toy. "Crookshanks!" she moaned as the cat knocked the ear off, ruining the plans of listening in to the conversation downstairs.

"Blimey, Hermione, that cat of yours…" George said dejectedly, jogging down the stairs to pick up the ear. The group split up and went separate ways, but Fred stayed next to Hermione.

"I'm sorry about Crookshanks," Hermione said, looking down at the floor. She felt bad that it was her fault their product got ruined, though she had faith in the twins that they could fix it.

"It's not a bother, really," Fred promised. "We have a few more pairs upstairs in our room." He leaned against the banister and looked at Hermione. "What are you thinking about?" He could practically see the gears turning in the young witch's head.

"You and George, your ideas are brilliant," she admitted. "I know your mum doesn't approve of your pranks, but…it takes skill to utilize magic the way you two do. I just…have always wanted to tell you that." She looked up at Fred, who straightened his lanky frame and met her gaze. "Don't let anyone discourage you." Before he could say anything, Hermione darted up the stairs to find Ron and Harry.

The next morning, the owls showed up with the school lists for everyone. Included in Ron and Hermione's school lists were their prefect badges. A grin spread across Hermione's face as Molly fawned over the two of them. "Oh, our little Ronald, a prefect! And Hermione too! How perfect!" she cooed. The twins rolled their eyes and Ron blushed with embarrassment. "Mum," he quietly protested.

"Oh, alright. Everyone, go get ready, we're leaving for Diagon Alley in ten minutes," she said as she flounced out of the room. Fred and George left with simultaneous cracks. Ron and Harry stormed up the stairs to the room they shared. Ginny and Hermione slowly made the way to theirs.

"Congrats, though I can't say it's much of a surprise," Ginny teased. "There's not much better of a choice then you for a prefect." It sounded brash, but Hermione and Ginny both knew it wasn't meant that way. "I must admit that Ron as a prefect is a tad shocking. I'd have expected Neville before him." Hermione nodded her agreement.

Ginny decided to change before they left, so Hermione grabbed her bag and headed back downstairs to wait for the group. She was sitting at the base of the stairs, lost in thought, when a crack brought her back to reality. Fred was sitting next to her, watching her. "Honestly, hasn't that lost its appeal yet? At least with short distances?"

"Nope, not yet," Fred confirmed. "So, Prefect Granger, I never got to thank you for what you said to me yesterday. That means a lot, coming from you. And now that we've got two prefects on our side, the pranks can only improve!"

"Two prefects?"

"Of course, you and Ronniekins!" he exclaimed. "We, uh, we do have you on our side, right?" He furrowed his eyebrows.

"I suppose…as long as no one ever gets hurt, then I guess I don't see the harm in letting you experiment. But the moment I feel that a student's safety is being threatened, then you better watch out, Fred Weasley!"

"Consider us warned," Fred said with a grin. He heard footsteps on the stairs and stood up, purposefully bumping his knee into Hermione's. He and George planned on making their last year at Hogwarts a year to remember, and knowing that Hermione would at least tolerate their shenanigans and not turn them in or give them detention was an added bonus. 

**AN: One more update for the night! I'm so proud, I've gotten two chapters written in one day!  
>I keep forgetting to mention this, but as a disclaimer: I don't own anything HP-related, though I definitely wish I did. ;)<br>I promise there will be Fremione coming! I have ideas leading all the way past the Battle of Hogwarts, so I don't want to move too quickly through any of it. Just bear with me!**

**And please, feel free to leave me any sort of feedback! Any and all is appreciated! :)  
><strong>


	4. Quidditch Tryouts

**AN: Another short update, but I wanted to keep going with the story! I know if I take a break and don't dedicate time to updating, it'll drift off. This was done in class, so I apologize for the length. Hopefully sometime this week I'll get a chance to write another long chapter or even a few! :)  
><strong>

The first two weeks of classes were a flurry of classes, homework, and prefect duties for Hermione. It wasn't until Quidditch tryouts for Oliver Wood's old position did she have time to breathe. She joined Harry and Ron down at the Quidditch pitch to watch the tryouts and enjoy the beautiful early autumn weather.

She was in jeans and a t-shirt, stretched out across the seat, letting the sun warm her face. She was watching the players zooming around on their broomsticks, but her eyes kept drifting back to the twins. As ridiculous and immature as they acted, she couldn't help but laugh with them. They had such a positive outlook on life, and it was contagious. Currently, they were showing off tricks while the chasers were training with Ron, the current Keeper trying out. There were no bludgers on the field, so Fred and George had no real objective.

She glanced over at Ron as the quaffle flew right past his head and into the goal. She winced, feeling bad for her friend. He wanted it so much, and it would be a shame if he didn't get on the team. She looked back at the rest of the field, but could only see one of the twins. Not thinking anything of it, she closed her eyes and lifted her head to the warm sunlight.

"Hey 'Mione," said a voice right next to Hermione's ear.

"Bloody hell!" She jumped, caught off-guard. "Fred!" She wasn't sure when he snuck up on her, but there he was, sitting right behind her, leaning in. He laughed and jumped down next to her.

"I didn't scare ya, now did I, Granger?" he teased.

"No, of course not. Just surprised me," she countered, though they both knew she was fibbing. Hermione looked over at Fred, and saw he was watching her. Their eyes locked and Hermione had a hard time looking away. Suddenly Fred was leaning in, a mischievous glint in his eyes. Unsure of what was happening, Hermione didn't budge an inch. She held her breath and waited. Fred paused in front of her face and smiled before kissing her cheek.

"What was that for?" Hermione said, her voice sounding a lot steadier than she felt.

"For luck."

"Luck? What do you need luck for?" Hermione's face scrunched in confusion.

"For the game, of course."

"Game? You aren't playing a game, it's just try-outs," Hermione reasoned, starting to get irritated. How dare he tease her like that? Was he making fun of her?

"Then I guess I'm luckier than I thought," Fred said with a wink before jumping back on his broomstick and shooting back towards his twin. Hermione fumed for a moment in her head, but upon hearing a whooping cheer come from Fred on the field, the annoyance immediately dissolved into a smile. She touched the place on her cheek, which was warm.  
>"Frederick Gideon Weasley," she muttered. "You lucky git," she added with a giggle.<p> 


	5. A Fireside Chat

"Who even let that batty toad into this school?" Lee Jordan grumbled.

"What was Dumbledore thinking?" George added. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, the twins, Lee, and Angelina were all sitting around the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room, trying to forget about the terrible weeks at Hogwarts and failing.

"If I wanted to be punished for no fair reason, I'd have stayed with the Dursleys," Harry muttered, rubbing the red scars on his hand from his last detention with Umbridge.

"I agree with the lot of you," Ginny said, "but sitting around complaining's not going to do rubbish. We need to fight back, but until that is actually possible, I'm going to bed." She stood up and walked away.

"Ginny's right, there's not much we can do," Harry agreed as he and Ron retreated up to the boy's dormitory. After a few more minutes of chatting, George and Angelina decided to go off somewhere together and Lee, finally noticing the glances Fred was shooting him after a few oblivious minutes, made up an excuse about a Potions paper and exited the common room through the Fat Lady's portrait, leaving Hermione and Fred alone. Hermione glanced over at Fred and saw the glaringly red letters etched into his hand.

"She sure does have an interesting way of handling detention," Hermione said softly. "I think I have something in my trunk upstairs that might help that. I'll be right back." Hermione raced up to her room, grabbed a glass potion bottle from the top of her trunk, and ran halfway back down the stairs. She paused to catch her breath and push back the hair that fell in her face before going back into the common room. She walked over to Fred and perched herself on the arm of the oversized armchair that Fred was sitting in.

She gently pulled Fred's hand over to her. "Hopefully this will help," she said, rubbing the concoction over the raised skin. "It did for Harry." It wasn't until after she was halfway through the process that she realized this was the first time she and Fred had been alone since the moment on the Quidditch pitch.

"Hey, Granger?" Fred looked at his hand curiously, then to Hermione.

"Yes?" she responded, not looking up.

"Is it supposed to make my hand all warm and tingly?"

"It shouldn't do that at all," Hermione said, looking up at Fred with alarm.

"Good, that's what I thought." He smiled his goofy smile and Hermione's heart and stomach flipped. He leaned in and their lips met. Hermione, shocked, pulled away. As her mind was trying to process what had just happened, she blurted out, "What do you need luck for this time?"

"I don't need luck, Granger," Fred whispered. "I need you." He leaned back in for another kiss, but Hermione pulled further away, trying not to fall off the chair.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I fancy you, Hermione. I thought you knew that." Hermione shook her head 'no' and Fred laughed.

"Since when?" Hermione's nose scrunched up in concentration.

"Since you told us that Dumbledore's age line wouldn't be fooled by our aging potion last year." Fred smiled at the memory. "You were so confident and sure of yourself, and as you laughed at our misfortune and basically said 'I told you so', I couldn't help but think you were the most gorgeous witch I had ever seen." Hermione's face burned with as she blushed. "But you were little Ronniekins's best friend and I'm pretty sure he'd kill me if I ever admitted to him that I cared for you." Hermione just sat, stunned at the news. "'Mione?" Fred reached out for Hermione's hand, which she had jerked away during the kiss. At his touch, she snapped back into reality.

"That's impossible," she said. "You can't like me."

"And why not?" Fred said, getting a little hurt and defensive.

"Because…" Hermione paused. "Because I've fancied you for two years, and things like that aren't supposed to work out."

"And why not?"

"Because…" Hermione stopped to think of a logical reason. If she was being honest with herself, it was because she never believed that Fred Weasley could ever like her back. She was a know-it-all witch and his little brother's friend. She didn't think that she'd ever be seen as more than a little sister, if that. "I'm not sure, actually," is what she responded with, not wanting to voice her insecurities in fear that Fred would realize the issues once she said them and changed his mind.

"Then just accept it." Fred chuckled at the stubbornness of the witch. "I'm going to kiss you again, Granger. And this time, will you try to not question it?" Hermione nodded. "Good." He leaned in and placed another kiss on her lips. Hermione returned the kiss, and the two smiled under the kiss before deepening it. When they finally pulled away, five minutes later, they looked at each other, grins spread across their faces, until Fred said, "That's better," causing them both to crack up.

"I should go to bed," Hermione said, looking in the direction of the girl's dormitory. She started to stand up, but Fred pulled her down onto his lap.

"Or you can stay here," he whispered in his ear. She turned her head to look at him, and he winked. She melted. How could she say no when her dreams, the ones she thought were so impossible, were coming true before her eyes? "Maybe a little longer," she agreed as she leaned in for another kiss.

After twenty more minutes of snogging, ignoring all the noise in the common room, Hermione pulled away, said good night, and raced into the dormitories. She didn't even notice George standing by the portrait, watching the scene unfold.

"Oi, Freddie, finally worked up your courage to tell her, I take it?"

"Bloody hell, George, how long have you been standing there?" Fred whirled around to face his twin.

"Long enough," he grinned.

"Then I'm pretty sure you know the answer to your own question." George came over and high-fived his brother, and together they wandered off to their own dormitory.

**AN: There we go, a longer chapter! And now that the two of them are together, I think I'm going to speed up a bit more, because I have ideas through post-war. Hope you guys are enjoying so far! Feel free to leave me reviews! I'd love to hear what you think! :) **


	6. The Plan

**AN: I'm sorry I haven't updated in a week; life's been hectic! But here's a new chapter! The next chapter won't come until next week again.  
>Since I included a quote from OotP, I will reiterate: I do not own anything relating to HP, that's JK Rowling. Though I can dream...<br>Hope you enjoy!  
><strong>

Fred Weasley and Hermione Granger were curled up on the couch together in a hidden spot in the library, Hermione's favorite spot. They had been together for only about two weeks and hadn't yet told Harry or Ron, so any time they wanted to spend together, they had to spend it away from the Gryffindor common room. It wasn't the best situation, but neither one minded. It added to the giddiness of the new-found relationship, having to sneak around and lie about why they could be caught smiling randomly, when everyone else was so upset.

Umbridge had been running the school mad. It was late October, just a few days from November, and ugly scars could be seen marring the skin of over half the students in the school. Morale was low, and many had given up. Hermione, relentless as ever, was trying to find a way to fight back. "Remember what Ginny said, the night we….?" Hermione said, looking up into Fred's adoring eyes. "About how we should fight back?"

"Yeah," Fred said. "But we don't have a way to fight back. The toad's too powerful."

"If Voldemort is back and building an army, we need to learn how to fight. We need to learn how to duel and use magic to protect ourselves. Isn't that why we came to Hogwarts? To learn magic?" Fred nodded, so Hermione kept going. "And if Umbridge won't teach us, we'll just have to find someone who will!"

Hermione's eyes were lighting up as the idea was sparking. Fred smiled at the feisty witch, wondering how he got so lucky. "But who would teach us?"

"The choice is obvious, isn't it?" Hermione exclaimed, sitting upright. Fred shook his head, unsure of where she was going with this. "Who do we know who has faced Voldemort three times in the past four years? Harry, of course! He's survived Voldemort four times; if he can't teach us to survive, who else could?"

"Do you suppose he'd be willing?"

"Well, we can always ask him, can't we? I'll talk to him about it and if he agrees, we can have a meeting this weekend! It'd be better to do it away from the castle, of course, in case anyone overhears who shouldn't, so it should be when we're at Hogsmeade, but it shouldn't be too hard to spread the word effectively." Fred's only response was to laugh and kiss her forehead.

"'Mione, you are something else." He leaned in for another kiss, and greedy lips met his. They were lost in their own world until they heard footsteps coming toward them. It was a benefit of Hermione's spot; it was in a wonderful location where you can hear the echoes of anyone coming near.

"Hermione?" the two heard a voice call out, and a different voice, "Hermione, are you in here?" It was Ron and Harry. They were still a few aisles away, but their voices carried to the couch. Fred and Hermione leapt apart and they quickly flipped the books open that were sitting on the floor in front of the couch before Hermione called out, "I'm over here!"

Her two best friends appeared around the corner of the bookshelf. "Hermione, there you are. We were wondering where you were at, we haven't seen you for hours."

"I was helping Fred with his homework," Hermione said quickly. "Actually, we were just having a conversation, and it's great you show up. Harry, we have an idea."

"Actually, it was all Hermione's idea, but as usual, it's bloody brilliant," Fred added, setting his book aside again and sitting towards the edge of the couch cushion.

Hermione blushed. "We want to learn how to use magic, how to fight. But Umbridge won't teach us. But what if…someone else did?" Harry and Ron looked at each other then back to Hermione, in confusion.

"Who did you have in mind?" Ron asked, his face scrunched.

"You, Harry."

"Me? Why me?" Harry looked freaked out, like a deer in the headlights.

"Why not you? If anyone at the school knows anything about facing Voldemort and the Death Eaters, it'd be you! And isn't that what we'll be facing? We should be prepared, and you are the only one here who can do that!"

"I can't do that!" Harry exclaimed, growing upset.

"And why not?"

"You don't know what it's like! You — neither of you — you've never had to face him, have you?... you two sit there acting like I'm a clever little boy to be standing here, alive, like Diggory was stupid, like he messed up — you just don't get it, that could just as easily have been me, it would have been if Voldemort hadn't needed me —"

"Harry, I'm not saying the Cedric was stupid. I'm saying that we can avoid having more people ending up like Cedric, if they're trained enough to know what to expect, and Umbridge clearly isn't going to be the person to do it. Harry, you can save so many lives."

Harry started to melt. "Well…" he paused. "I suppose we could try it, and if it doesn't work, then we can just disband it, right?"

"Of course!" Hermione beamed.

"But since this is your idea, I'm leaving you in charge of putting it together, okay? Just tell me where I need to be and when."

"Thank you, Harry!" Hermione leapt off the couch and hugged him. "Why were you looking for me, anyways?"

"Uh…we had a homework question. Or twenty." Ron looked down sheepishly as he answered.

"Oh, alright. Let's get back to the common room then, I have a lot of planning to do." Hermione and Fred gathered up their school supplies and the four headed back to Gryffindor tower. The three boys chatted the way back, but Hermione's mind was too focused on her new task to concentrate on what was being said. Hogsmeade was in three days. She had her work cut out for her.


	7. Meeting at Hogsmeade

**AN: Sorry for no update lately - this semester's turned so busy! Hopefully this week I'll have one or two more updates, since it's spring break! :) Enjoy!  
><strong>

Somehow, and she wasn't sure quite how, Hermione managed to pull together a meeting in the three days, _without_ the use of a Time Turner. Hermione had decided that it would be in the group's best interest of privacy to hold it off the beaten track, so it was arranged that everyone would meet at the Hog's Head at noon.

"No one will show up," Harry was insisting for the seventh time that morning. "Not with all the rubbish the Daily Prophet is spouting about me."

Hermione stopped dead in her tracks, as the trio, Fred, and George were walking to the Hog's Head to set up (Harry and Ron still had no idea why the twins were suddenly a constant part of their group). "Now, you listen here, Harry James Potter. You know you're right, your friends know you're right, and we all love and support you, so we'll all be there. Besides, you might be surprised who will all show up. So just stop being so hard on yourself and let's get a move on! The meeting's only an hour away and we need to prepare." She continued walking, leaving the boys too stunned to move.

The meeting had a better turn-out than Hermione could have expected. To make it even better, after she made some opening statements and they settled in, Harry took over so she was able to melt into the crowd and stand next to Fred. They couldn't touch, as that would ruin their secret, but just being near each other was enough for them at the moment.

"Oi, Granger," Fred whispered near her ear. "Meet me in the alley behind Honeydukes at 5. I want to take you on a real date." Hermione nodded her agreement and smiled. A real, honest-to-God date with Fred Weasley. Who'd have ever imagined?

* * *

><p>"That witch destroys everything she touches! I swear, she must be a Dementor, because she just sucks the happiness out of everything," George ranted as Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, and Ginny walked back to Hogwarts. The group was fuming, as Umbridge had placed a curfew on this and all future Hogsmeade trips, where students were required to be back at Hogwarts by 5'o'clock, and not a single student was happy about it. Hermione and Fred were quiet as they walked, upset that they still couldn't have a first date.<p>

As they neared the castle, the conversation drifted to the meeting that day and the mood grew brighter as they buzzed with excitement. "I think this will turn out really well," Harry admitted. "It was nice to see the support from everyone there."

"I _told _you so," Hermione said, laughing, rolling her eyes.

"How much trouble do you think we'll get in, if Umbridge finds out?" Ron said, voicing everyone's worries. After an awkward beat of silence, Hermione finally spoke.

"Oh, who cares?" she exclaimed. "I mean, it's sort of exciting, isn't it, breaking the rules?" Hearing the young witch say something as out of character as that made Fred grin. He couldn't help but feel like he had a large impact on those words. Hermione turned her head just slightly, enough to make eye contact with her favorite twin, and Fred knew he was right.


	8. Admitting the Truth

**AN: I'm so sorry for the lack of updates! Next week starts summer break so I should be able to update more, but this semester just got away from me. Enjoy the chapter, and don't forget to review and favorite! :)**

Life was finally starting to look up at Hogwarts. Umbridge was still an insufferable troll, but the group Harry led was a much needed freedom for everyone involved. Over the few weeks following the first meeting at Hogsmeade, the group had managed to find a place in Hogwarts to meet (the Room of Requirement) and came up with a name (the DA, Dumbledore's Army). Everything seemed to be falling into place, including Hermione and Fred's relationship. They had multiple conversations, talking about how to break it to everyone else.

"I don't want to hide anymore, 'Mione," Fred whispered as they held hands and watched the fire on the couch in the Gryffindor common room, late at night after everyone was asleep.

"I know, I don't want to either," Hermione said. "Maybe we should do it before we leave for Christmas vacation, that way the two can have time to calm down before we have to face them together?" She paused, and thought about it. "Or maybe we should do it after, so that they can't sit and stew on it?" She shook her head. "Oh, I don't know anymore."

"Why don't we just do what feels most natural?" Fred suggested, playing with Hermione's hair. "When the time comes, we'll do it. I just hope the time comes soon." The two sighed. "Speaking of Christmas vacation…I'm going to miss you."

"I'm going to miss you as well, Fred." Hermione had decided to spend the break with her parents, where they would travel to France for two weeks. She leaned into his strong arms and tried to relax. "But it's only two weeks. I'll be at the Burrow for the last weekend of the holiday break." Fred squeezed her tightly in response. She glanced out the window and sighed again. "We should be getting to bed. We only have a few hours before we have to get up for class, and as much as I'd rather be with you than asleep, I have exams coming up before the break.…"

"I wouldn't want to be the cause of you failing out of Hogwarts," Fred teased. He sat up, bringing Hermione up to a sitting position as well before kissing her forehead. "I understand. Good night, love. I'll see you in the morning." Hermione smiled and leaned in, pressing her lips to his.

"Sweet dreams, Fred." She pulled herself up from the couch and, with one last glance back at her favorite ginger, turned and went upstairs. She crawled into her bed and, with her body still buzzing from being near Fred, she fell asleep with a single thought echoing in her head: "I love him."

* * *

><p>"Alright, guys, this is the last meeting of the DA before break, so let's make it a good one!" Harry announced. "Let's practice stupefying and disarming for a while. Grab the person next to you and let's get started!"<p>

Hermione turned to Fred, but was pulled in the opposite direction by Ron. "C'mon Hermione, let's practice together." She glanced back at Fred, who met her eyes, shrugged, and turned to George. Hermione sighed internally and turned back to Ron, following him in the direction he was pulling her. They took turns attacking and deflecting flawlessly. By the look on his face, Hermione knew Ron was starting to get competitive. He wanted to make her miss a spell to have a one-up on her. She was determined it wasn't going to happen. She managed to keep up, spell for spell, until a laugh distracted her in the back corner. Fred's laugh. Out of instinct, she glanced over at her boyfriend at the exact moment Ron fired off another attack. Before she could react, she flew back against the wall.

"Hermione!" A choir of voices rang out. She hit the floor with a thump and squeezed her eyes tightly shut. Her head had the wall and it was throbbing, but she didn't think it was anything serious. When she opened her eyes again, Fred was right in front of her face, with Ron, Harry, and Ginny right behind him.

"'Mione, are you alright?" Fred asked, worry plaguing his voice. She groaned as she tried to sit up.

"I'm fine, Fred."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure, I'm fine, really," she insisted.

"I think we should still take you to the hospital wing," Ginny piped up. "Just to be safe."

"I'll take her," Fred said quickly.

"Why you?" Ron challenged. "I was the one who hurt her, I should take her."

"That's exactly what you shouldn't take her!"

"Still doesn't answer why you should!" Hermione watched the two of them argue, and she knew half a second before Fred said it what was going to happen from the confrontation.

"Because she's my girlfriend, you dolt!" Silence fell across the room. Hermione knew she had to say something.

"Guys, I can't go to the hospital wing. What would we even tell Madame Pomfrey? That we were illegally practicing spells in an illegitimate student army? It's impossible. Besides, as I said before, I am fine!" To emphasize the last word, she stood up, slightly stumbling. Fred immediately reached out to catch her.

"Is it true?" Ron stared at her, his face in shock.

"Yes, it is," she admitted shyly.

"How long?" His voice was dull, and she knew he was mad.

"Since October, before we formed the DA."

"Were you ever going to tell us?" Harry spoke up. He wasn't mad, Hermione could tell. Just hurt.

"Yes! We wanted to, we just didn't know how." Hermione glanced between her two best friends. "I didn't want you to get mad at me. At him. At us."

"Well, you failed," Ron said as he turned and walked out the door. Hermione sighed and watched her friend leave.

"Don't worry about him," Fred whispered in her ear. "He'll get over it eventually." Hermione nodded, knowing he was right. She leaned into him and he kissed the top of her head.

"Are you sure you're alright, Hermione?" Harry asked. She nodded. "Let's get back to work then!" he announced to the entire room. Ginny and Luna grabbed Hermione's hands and pulled her over to join the two of them.

"You owe me a story," Ginny said with a mischievous grin as she raised her wand.


	9. The Attack

**AN: I am soooo sooooooo sorry I haven't updated in forever and ever! I should just stop promising that updates will be coming. I****'ve been battling with writer's block and a way too busy schedule, but here is FINALLY another chapter. I hope you enjoy it, and please review! :)**

Hermione was curled up on Ginny's bed, her legs tucked underneath her. The two had been talking all night, since the DA meeting disbanded. After Hermione had finally rehashed all the details of her relationship with Fred, Ginny had been firing questions at her quicker than Bat-Bogey Hexes. They were both stifling yawns, but didn't want to admit defeat and fall asleep yet.

Suddenly, the door to the dormitory was open and a nightdress-clad Professor McGonagall was crossing the room. "Miss Weasley…oh, Miss Granger, you're here too, that's good," she said, looking rather distracted. "You should report to Professor Dumbledore's office, immediately. Don't worry girls, you didn't do anything wrong," she added after spotting the looks of alarm on both girls' faces.

"But Professor, it's such odd hours. Why do we have to go now?" Ginny asked.

"It's your father, dear. Something has happened. Professor Dumbledore can explain better." McGonagall's tones lightened.

"My dad? Is he okay?" Ginny spit out in a panic. McGonagall just gave a small, polite smile.

"Like I said, Professor Dumbledore can explain better," she said sadly. Ginny jumped out of bed, nearly knocking Hermione over. As the young Weasley raced down the hallway, Hermione was tripping over her feet to catch up. Something didn't add up right and Hermione had a sinking feeling about what was coming next. The feeling was strong enough that she couldn't even be entertained by watching Professor McGonagall hurrying down the hall in what was the closest thing Hermione's ever seen to her running.

"What's going on? What happened to Dad?" Ginny exclaimed as she burst into Dumbledore's office minutes later.

"Ah, Miss Weasley, come in. Miss Granger, you as well," Dumbledore said from behind his desk. Even at the late hour, his smile was still kind and his eyes still twinkled. "I'm afraid I have the duty to inform you that Arthur has been attacked whilst on duty for the Order." Hermione stood blinking. She didn't understand. How did that happen? "Harry here can explain more."

It wasn't until then that Hermione glanced around the office. Harry, Ron, and George were sitting in various spots in the office. Fred had seemingly stood up when the girls entered. Hermione crossed the room in a few quick steps, throwing herself into Fred's waiting arms. He squeezed her tightly, and Hermione returned the gesture. She felt his cheek come down on the top of her head, and she had to sniff back tears. Even though the words hadn't computed in her brain, Fred's actions told her all she needed to know. As the group listened to Harry's story of his dream, Fred kept Hermione pulled into his chest, as if he couldn't get close enough to her. Her back was to Fred's chest, so she could see the others in the room. Ron refused to look over at the two.

"Can we see him?" Ginny asked as soon as Harry had finished rehashing his account of the attack.

"Unfortunately not yet," Dumbledore said with a sad shake of his head. "We will be sending the lot of you to Grimmauld Place. Molly should be waiting for you there, with Sirius." No one in the room seemed to remember that Hermione wasn't intending on joining the Weasleys for Christmas. But she was already composing the letter in her head to her parents of why she wouldn't be coming home for the break. She wanted to stay with the ones who needed her, especially Fred, who quite possibly would need her the most.

Within ten minutes, they had their trunks packed and returned to Dumbledore's office, miraculously without alerting Umbridge of their actions. Through the floo network they traveled to Grimmauld Place, where Molly and Sirius were indeed waiting by the fireplace. Once they were all through, Molly announced her plans to visit Arthur at St. Mungo's.

"Mum?" George asked quietly, the first time any of the male Weasleys had spoken since Hermione and Ginny joined them in Dumbledore's office. "Can we go too?"

Molly frowned. "I'm afraid not, George, but I promise that we will all go visit him soon. You all should go to bed. I'll be home later." She kissed the foreheads of all the kids and stepped into the fireplace. "It'll be alright, I promise," she said with a weak, sad smile before disappearing.

It was general agreed upon that no one wanted to go off to their rooms for bed, so they all crowded around the table and sat in silence. Words seemed unimportant, and everyone was too tired for conversation anyhow. One by one, they began to drop off like flies, falling into restless sleep. Hermione, who had been sitting as close to possible to Fred while still being in separate chairs, woke because she felt him stirring in his sleep. He began muttering under his breath, and it was clear he was having a bad dream.

"Fred? Fred, wake up." She gently shook his shoulder. His head jerked up.

"Wha- what's going on?"

"You were having a bad dream, I think."

A dark cloud passed over his face. "Yeah, I was." He frowned. "Come here," he said, opening his arms. "I feel better when you're close to me." That sentence caused a lightbulb to go off in Hermione's head. She hated seeing Fred upset but until then hadn't been able to think of a good way to comfort him.

She stood up from the table. "No, you come here." She marched up the stairs, pausing just long enough to listen for the scrape of the chair on the kitchen tile that told her that Fred was indeed following her. She slipped into the room that the twins were sharing and curled up in Fred's bed. A few moments later, Fred was in the doorway. The shadow of a smile was crawling across his face. "Come here," she said, holding the blankets up for him to crawl in next to her.

"Great idea," Fred mumbled, kissing Hermione's ear. "I love you," he whispered as he began to slip back into sleep. Hermione, already half-asleep thanks to the comfortable warmth provided by Fred's body wrapped around her petite frame, only murmured wordlessly back before they both fell into a peaceful sleep.


	10. Harry's Approval

**AN: Again, I'm sorry for the long space between updates! I'm not going to promise a new update soon, but I will promise that I have drafts written of future chapters. I plan on speeding time up a little bit, as I have plans for this story to go through post-war. I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

"Alright, kids, let's go!" Mrs. Weasley said, sing-songing from the kitchen. Fred and Hermione stumbled down the stairs into the living room, where the other Weasleys and Harry were sitting.

"She is way too chipper for this early in the morning," Ron groaned. "Did she even sleep last night?" Molly appeared at the doorway, bags beneath her dark eyes, crinkled with worry.

"Go where?" Hermione asked, stifling a yawn.

"We're all going to St. Mungo's to visit Arthur, dear, didn't you hear me a few moments ago?"

"Mrs. Weasley, I don't feel comfortable going to see Mr. Wea-" Harry started to say, but Molly cut him off before he could finish his sentence.

"Nonsense, Harry! Arthur's been asking for you! He wants to thank you for saving his life!" Harry paled hearing that phrase.

"But I didn't-" Harry began again, clearly uncomfortable. Hermione felt bad, so she interrupted Harry.

"Mrs. Weasley, why don't you take everyone else to go see Mr. Weasley, and Harry and I will stay here? We don't want to intrude on a family moment. We can come join you after lunch." She smiled softly, urging Molly with her eyes to give in.

Molly hesitated before sighing. "Well, alright, if you insist."

"I do," Hermione said gently.

"Come join us around 1 in the afternoon, then. We'll be looking for you. Everyone else, grab some floo powder and let's go!" Ginny, Ron, George, and Molly all disappeared into the fire. Fred squeezed Hermione's hand before letting go and stepping into the fireplace.

"I love you," he mouthed before throwing down the powder and announcing "St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries" and disappearing in a burst of flames.

Hermione walked over to Harry, who was sitting on one of the couches. She sat down next to him silently, putting her hand on top of his.

"You didn't do it, you know that, right?" Hermione asked.

"Then why do I remember thinking that I wanted to kill him? I was the snake, Hermione! I was the one who tried to kill him!"

"It was a dream, Harry. You were in Hogwarts, you are a human. Not at the Ministy, and not a snake."

Harry sat in silence. Hermione was too scared to say anything. The only sounds was the ghoul banging around in the attic.

After a few minutes, a voice broke the silence again. "He really loves you, I can tell."

"Hm?" Harry's voice snapped Hermione out of the trance she had zoned into.

"Fred. You can see it on his face whenever he looks at you. I don't know why I didn't realize it sooner." Hermione smiled. "It'll take Ron some time to get used to it. It has to be weird, ya know, his best friend snogging his older brother. But if it counts for anything, I think Fred's a lucky guy."

"Wait, you're not mad?" Hermione asked, her eyes widening in surprise.

"Of course not, Hermione. I just want my friends to be happy. Fred's my friend, you're my friend. If you guys are happy together, then I'm happy for you." Hermione threw her arms around Harry's neck and squeezed.

"Thank you so much, Harry. That means so much to me."

The two sat in a comfortable silence for a few hours. Harry picked up a book and started reading while Hermione cleaned around Grimmauld Place. When it approached noon, Hermione had a brainstorm. Together, they spent time making sandwiches and packing them into a picnic basket. By the time the clock struck one, they were packing the last of the food into the basket and approaching the fireplace. Harry went in first, then Hermione. When she got out on the other side, Fred was waiting for her, Harry behind him.

The sight of him, tearstains on his cheeks and a pathetic attempt at a smile etched across his face, broke Hermione's heart. She couldn't imagine how hard this morning has been, seeing his father looking so broken. Immediately, she threw her arms around his neck, squeezed him tightly, placed a desperate kiss on his lips and whispered in his ear, for the first time, "I love you, Fred Weasley."


End file.
